14 March 2012

Straw Bale Homes

Straw Bale Shelters

Houses of straw - the rediscovery of strawbale building

Strawbales are a new, interesting building material: it is a sustainable, ecologically sound resource, available in abundance. Strawbale walls achieve highest insulation values and offer a healthy, beautiful living environment.
This film is a trailer for a DVD called "Houses of straw", shot in Germany. It shows the recent developments, many examples show the different possibilities of building with straw. In interviews with owner-builders, architects and experts we hear a lot of importants aspects. And: an exciting fire test shows: strawbale walls don´t burn!

Straw bale house made by single mom for $50,000

I built my passive solar straw bale house with earthen plasters in 2000 for $50K (will most likely cost more today, depending on many factors). This is an overview of the house; it is extremely energy-efficient. My electric bills are about $35 per month.